2013 Ford F-150 Transmission Problems

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission independently downshifted. The power train warning light illuminated. The contact stated that when the power train warning light illuminated, the fuel gauge, the odometer and the speed limit indicators were disabled. In addition, the contact stated that when the transmission shifted to fifth gear, it did not downshift. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed OSS sensor and a failing lead frame. The contact was informed that the OSS sensor and the lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.

NHTSA ID

11740428

Incident

May 29, 2025

Mileage

185,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the transmission had erroneously downshifted causing the vehicle to abruptly stop in the middle of the road. During the failure the wrench icon had displayed. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission valve body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11738941

Incident

May 1, 2026

Mileage

120,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the transmission independently downshifted from fifth gear to second gear. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to a nearby parking lot and parked. The vehicle was almost rear-ended because of the failure. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but it was not inspected. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that the transmission had been replaced twice by the same independent mechanic. The contact stated that the independent mechanic replaced the transmission with a rebuilt transmission after each failure. In addition, the lead frame was replaced by the dealer in 2025. The contact stated that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11721797

Incident

Feb 1, 2025

Mileage

120,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted from 6th gear into a lower gear, and the check engine and transmission warning lights illuminated. As a result of the failure, the vehicle crashed into bushes. The contact also stated that the air bags did not deploy during the incident. The contact sustained a left foot injury; however, no medical attention was sought. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not towed, and the contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact further stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on another occasion, the vehicle unexpectedly entered limp mode and remained in 3rd gear. The contact also reported that the vehicle felt sluggish when attempting to accelerate from a stop, with the check engine and transmission warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission lead frame had failed and required replacement. The vehicle was not repaired, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not eligible for warranty coverage due to exceeding the warranty limits of 10 years or 150,000 miles. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.

NHTSA ID

11708096

Incident

Dec 31, 2025

Mileage

152,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly downshifted from 6th to 1st gear. The battery and the powertrain warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the lead frame and speed sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the same diagnosis was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 211,580.

NHTSA ID

11677552

Incident

Jul 31, 2025

Mileage

211,580 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 178,000.

NHTSA ID

11674343

Incident

Jul 17, 2025

Mileage

178,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the transmission was not shifting properly from first or second gear. The contact stated that the failure occurred at various speeds. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the output speed sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.

NHTSA ID

11665755

Incident

Jan 9, 2025

Mileage

148,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle could not able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 116,762.

NHTSA ID

11653513

Incident

Apr 8, 2025

Mileage

116,762 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the instrument cluster became inoperable and the vehicle lost drive power while the RPMs were significantly high. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed an unidentified low speed. The power train warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that he pulled to the side of the road on some occasions. The contact stated that the failure had progressively worsened, and the vehicle no longer responded as needed upon turning off and restarting the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal clunking sound while shifting into gears. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000(Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.

NHTSA ID

11632688

Incident

Jul 27, 2023

Mileage

138,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle downshifted with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the same diagnostic was provided to the contact. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 167,000.

NHTSA ID

11625284

Incident

Nov 14, 2024

Mileage

167,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The “WRENCH” symbol was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that a software update was needed, and that the lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.

NHTSA ID

11618925

Incident

Oct 8, 2024

Mileage

139,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to shift from park(P); however, the vehicle hesitated to shift out of park(P). In addition, the contact stated that while driving 10-25 MPH, the gears felt abnormal during acceleration. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that when the failure occurred while driving, he would merge over to the shoulder of the roadway and shift to park. The vehicle would then resume to normal. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.

NHTSA ID

11616462

Incident

Oct 2, 2023

Mileage

170,000 mi

The contact's son owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while her son was driving 35 MPH, the vehicle downshifted unexpectedly and lurched forward, causing the rear tires to skid. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's son turned on the hazards light and drove to the residence at slow speeds. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the recall repair of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train) was performed. The dealer test-drove the vehicle after the recall repair and informed the contact that the failure had recurred. The dealer recommended that the transmission molded lead frame be replaced; however, the vehicle could not be repaired under Ford Campaign Number: 19N01 - Supplement #1, because the campaign had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 66,810.

NHTSA ID

11607555

Incident

Jul 19, 2024

Mileage

66,810 mi

See attached document for complaint

NHTSA ID

11607457

Incident

May 13, 2024

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted and the speed was drastically reduced. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway to turn the vehicle off. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission lead frame. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11604541

Incident

May 25, 2024

Mileage

130,000 mi

6-speed automatic transmission shift issues. Car shifted from 6 to 1st gear while driving down the highway at over 60mph. Recall 19S07 remediation was completed previously, the reprogramming. Now the issues back and the vehicle randomly shifts to 1st gear while in other gears like 4,5,6 going over 40 mph. The issue occurs randomly and creates a major hazard with the vehicle dramatically slowing down until the car gets back to a proper gear . Ford states that the molded lead frame needs replaced and will cost over $1,100. The prior recall didn't fix the issue just delayed a future driving hazard with a cost to the driver.

NHTSA ID

11583101

Incident

Apr 3, 2024

truck speedometer goes to 0. Slows down abruptly. Rpm goes way up. Was going from 45 to less than 10mph in a matter of seconds. Feels like the transmission automatically downshifts to a lower gear. Very dangerous. Seems to be quite a few of these incidents on you tube. Truck only has 11600 miles on it.

NHTSA ID

11580039

Incident

Mar 21, 2024

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to shift out of 1st gear. The contact stated that the vehicle was stuck in 3rd gear. The wrench warning light and air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the entire dashboard screen was black. The contact stated her husband restarted the vehicle for the vehicle to return to normal operation. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired yet. The failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V433000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 152,000.

NHTSA ID

11576557

Incident

Mar 11, 2024

Mileage

152,000 mi

Last week the Transmission downshifted from 6th gear to third gear and would not shift to first gear when I stopped at a red light. Proceeded in third gear and vehicle finally shifted to fifth gear and would not shift to 6th gear at road speed. At the onset this time, transmission in 6th gear, at speed of 65 to 70, shifted hard into fifth gear and stayed there, wrench appeared on screen, speedometer went to zero and seat belt indicator light came on. I feel our safety was at risk, vehicle would not shift gears. After waiting a while I restarted vehicle and it ran properly. Two separate times when we were traveling on top of a mountain, vehicle threw wrench signal on screen and started vibrating excessively and lost power and went into limp mode. We turned engine off and after waiting a while, we restarted vehicle and it operated properly. My wife almost had a heart attack. Problem was reported to Riverside Ford, Macon, Ga., where we purchased the vehicle. They replied that nothing like this had been reported before and they did not know what the problem was. Random shifting problems continues to this day. There has been two recalls on transmission and I had not received information on this, possibly due to being the second owner. Currently only has 80,456 miles on odometer.

NHTSA ID

11564555

Incident

Jan 10, 2024

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH, the transmission downshifted from 5th gear. The wrench light was illuminated. The contact slowed down, pulled off the roadway, and restarted the vehicle and was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V433000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 220,000.

NHTSA ID

11563375

Incident

Dec 20, 2023

Mileage

220,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle downshifted from 4th to 3rd gear. The check engine and wrench warning lights illuminated. The contact slowed down, pulled off the roadway and restarted the vehicle. The check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the transmission failed to shift out of 1st gear. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle and was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V433000 (Power Train) or 19V075000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.

NHTSA ID

11563054

Incident

Dec 28, 2023

Mileage

175,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly downshifted to 1st gear. The contact struggled to get the vehicle to accelerate. The contact stated that the engine revved however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact coasted the vehicle over to the side of the road and was able to drive 15 MPH in 1st gear to the residence. The stated that the failure recurred within 5-miles while driving at various speeds. The failure was intermittent. The contact stated that odometer and transmission coolant gauge would go to zero with the wrench symbol displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer nor a certified mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 157,000.

NHTSA ID

11553776

Incident

Oct 24, 2023

Mileage

157,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at 55 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked with the speed sensor and service engine warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the gear shifter was only operable in 3rd, 4th, and 5th gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with a failed lead frame sensor. The contact was informed that the lead frame sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle was not covered under a previous recall due to the age of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 166,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ID

11553373

Incident

Aug 16, 2023

Mileage

166,000 mi

See attached document from complainant

NHTSA ID

11551813

Incident

Apr 8, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. The power train warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the transmission was stuck in 5th gear. The contact stated that he turned off and restarted the vehicle. Additionally, the contact turned the ignition key in the ignition switch until the vehicle responded. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring, and the vehicle failed to shift into the intended gear while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission molded lead frame had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer related the failure to TSB Number: 16-0008; however, the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 137,000.

NHTSA ID

11546880

Incident

Sep 13, 2023

Mileage

137,000 mi